Christopher Wray Confirmed As FBI Director

August 2, 2017

The Senate confirmed Christopher Wray, President Donald Trump’s nominee to succeed James Comey, as director of the FBI on Tuesday on a 92-5.

The overwhelming vote was not particularly surprising, as lawmakers of both parties have lauded Wray’s qualifications and abilities in recent weeks. The only dissenting votes came from five Democratic senators who have opposed almost every nominee submitted by President Trump as a matter of course.

Wray has been a partner in the Washington offices of King & Spalding since he left government service in 2005. Prior to entering private practice, he was assistant attorney general for the criminal division at the Department of Justice (DOJ) during the George W. Bush administration. He was among the DOJ officials that were prepared to resign, given their ongoing discomfort with the Bush administration’s domestic surveillance programs.

The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously confirmed his nomination after a fairly short and uneventful confirmation hearing, during which Wray affirmed his commitment to the Bureau’s independence and expressed support for special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.